What do you think?
Rate this book
Let’s Play Make-Believe
James Patterson’s BookShots. Short, fast-paced, high-impact entertainment.
Make believe I love you…
Both survivors of the divorce wars, Christy and Martin don’t believe in love at first sight and certainly not on a first date. But from the instant they lock eyes, life becomes a sexy, romantic dream come true. That is, until they start playing a strangely intense game of make-believe – a game that’s about to go too far.
Make believe I love you…
Both survivors of the divorce wars, Christy and Martin don’t believe in love at first sight and certainly not on a first date. But from the instant they lock eyes, life becomes a sexy, romantic dream come true. That is, until they start playing a strangely intense game of make-believe – a game that’s about to go too far.
144 pages, Paperback
First published August 2, 2016
442 people are currently reading
1947 people want to read
About the author
James Patterson
955 books355k followersOfficial US Site
Official UK Site
JIMMY Patterson Books
ReadKiddoRead
James Patterson is the most popular storyteller of our time and the creator of such unforgettable characters and series as Alex Cross, the Women’s Murder Club, Jane Smith, and Maximum Ride. He has coauthored #1 bestselling novels with Bill Clinton, Dolly Parton, and Michael Crichton, as well as collaborated on #1 bestselling nonfiction, including The Idaho Four, Walk in My Combat Boots, and Filthy Rich. Patterson has told the story of his own life in the #1 bestselling autobiography James Patterson by James Patterson. He is the recipient of an Edgar Award, ten Emmy Awards, the Literarian Award from the National Book Foundation, and the National Humanities Medal.
Official UK Site
JIMMY Patterson Books
ReadKiddoRead
James Patterson is the most popular storyteller of our time and the creator of such unforgettable characters and series as Alex Cross, the Women’s Murder Club, Jane Smith, and Maximum Ride. He has coauthored #1 bestselling novels with Bill Clinton, Dolly Parton, and Michael Crichton, as well as collaborated on #1 bestselling nonfiction, including The Idaho Four, Walk in My Combat Boots, and Filthy Rich. Patterson has told the story of his own life in the #1 bestselling autobiography James Patterson by James Patterson. He is the recipient of an Edgar Award, ten Emmy Awards, the Literarian Award from the National Book Foundation, and the National Humanities Medal.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 409 reviews
December 26, 2022
Meet Christy and Martin, two beautiful young people each going through a painful divorce. They both feel they have been treated badly by their respective ex partners. Their attraction to each other is immediate, and they quickly discover a joint interest in playing games which begin with petty theft and progress very quickly to much worse.
It is an entertaining and absorbing read as the relationship develops and the scary moments increase. I was very happy, just reading along, confident that I knew where it was going. And then it did a complete and totally unexpected about face. A fantastic ending to an enjoyable book.
Another good choice of reading from Mr. Patterson.
It is an entertaining and absorbing read as the relationship develops and the scary moments increase. I was very happy, just reading along, confident that I knew where it was going. And then it did a complete and totally unexpected about face. A fantastic ending to an enjoyable book.
Another good choice of reading from Mr. Patterson.
October 17, 2016
The best of the Bookshots I have read thus far. Short, to the point, and full of twists. Exactly what this short story genre should be like.
June 5, 2023
Christy was in the process of getting a divorce from her rich, well-to-do - arrogant - husband Brennan when she met Marty. He was divorced and when the two of them realised they both liked to play games, the fun and excitement the two were involved in saw their adrenalin surging. Until the game of make-believe that wasn't a game any longer...
Let's Play Make-Believe is one of James Patterson's Book Shots and I can understand why the ratings are so low. Not one I particularly enjoyed, and not one I'd recommend.
Let's Play Make-Believe is one of James Patterson's Book Shots and I can understand why the ratings are so low. Not one I particularly enjoyed, and not one I'd recommend.
December 30, 2024
To end my year, I chose to re-read a fewer shorter pieces. Here is one, with the original review:
Back for another BookShot, I enter the world of the Jameses, Patterson and Born, as they seek to entice the readers with this interesting short piece. After being tossed to the curb by her wealthy husband, Christy Moore is looking to inject some excitement into her life. When she meets Martin Hawking, a recent divorcé, the two seem inseparable. Like young lovers, they spend as much time together as possible and become infatuated with one another.
A few weeks into this courtship, Martin suggests they play a game of make-believe, taking on roles and situations normally outside their purview. From an expensive dine and dash to temporarily taking possession of an expensive vehicle, Martin and Christy are living on the edge, when they are not partying it up and receiving late night visits from the police. However, the game soon intensifies and both become even bolder with their dares, going so far as to enter the mansion of Christy's soon-to-be ex. They scout the place out and help themselves to a few items Christy feels entitled to have, no sense of consequences.
Thereafter, it is a rollercoaster of emotions that pushes things well past illegal and into highly criminal, where both Christy and Martin are unable (or unwilling?) to play by the rules. How will Christy put a stop to things before they reach the point of no return? Could Martin's game of make-believe be one where the rules do not apply? A well-crafted piece that speeds by as the reader gets more attached to the story.
I have been a fan of BookShots since they came out and find Patterson has done some of his best work (read: put his name to work authored by others) in these short stories, as he chooses the best of the best. While this piece read like something bordering on female infatuation at times, it did pick up its pace and soon had me wondering how things would end. With a prologue that lays out some fairly significant information, there was no way I was putting this one down until I saw how things came full circle. Patterson and Born develop two interesting characters in Martin and Christy, both spurned by recent marital issues and finding one another like oppositely-charged magnets. However, it was the pace of the story that lulled me into a sense of complacency, only to shock me as I reached the last half dozen, when the story takes a real turn. The ending alone made the story worthwhile and it is this that helps earn my choice to recommend it to anyone who has a spare few hours. Everything falls into place nicely, though there is by no means a happy ending in store.
Kudos, Messrs. Patterson and Born for this piece. I hope to see your teamwork again soon, either in full novel form or another exciting BookShot.
Like/hate the review? An ever-growing collection of others appears at:
http://pecheyponderings.wordpress.com/
Back for another BookShot, I enter the world of the Jameses, Patterson and Born, as they seek to entice the readers with this interesting short piece. After being tossed to the curb by her wealthy husband, Christy Moore is looking to inject some excitement into her life. When she meets Martin Hawking, a recent divorcé, the two seem inseparable. Like young lovers, they spend as much time together as possible and become infatuated with one another.
A few weeks into this courtship, Martin suggests they play a game of make-believe, taking on roles and situations normally outside their purview. From an expensive dine and dash to temporarily taking possession of an expensive vehicle, Martin and Christy are living on the edge, when they are not partying it up and receiving late night visits from the police. However, the game soon intensifies and both become even bolder with their dares, going so far as to enter the mansion of Christy's soon-to-be ex. They scout the place out and help themselves to a few items Christy feels entitled to have, no sense of consequences.
Thereafter, it is a rollercoaster of emotions that pushes things well past illegal and into highly criminal, where both Christy and Martin are unable (or unwilling?) to play by the rules. How will Christy put a stop to things before they reach the point of no return? Could Martin's game of make-believe be one where the rules do not apply? A well-crafted piece that speeds by as the reader gets more attached to the story.
I have been a fan of BookShots since they came out and find Patterson has done some of his best work (read: put his name to work authored by others) in these short stories, as he chooses the best of the best. While this piece read like something bordering on female infatuation at times, it did pick up its pace and soon had me wondering how things would end. With a prologue that lays out some fairly significant information, there was no way I was putting this one down until I saw how things came full circle. Patterson and Born develop two interesting characters in Martin and Christy, both spurned by recent marital issues and finding one another like oppositely-charged magnets. However, it was the pace of the story that lulled me into a sense of complacency, only to shock me as I reached the last half dozen, when the story takes a real turn. The ending alone made the story worthwhile and it is this that helps earn my choice to recommend it to anyone who has a spare few hours. Everything falls into place nicely, though there is by no means a happy ending in store.
Kudos, Messrs. Patterson and Born for this piece. I hope to see your teamwork again soon, either in full novel form or another exciting BookShot.
Like/hate the review? An ever-growing collection of others appears at:
http://pecheyponderings.wordpress.com/
March 22, 2018
Wow, what a twisty and turny story. Martin Hawking and Christy Moore are both survivors of rough divorces and are going through tough times. They are introduced through a mutual friend and immediately hit it off.
They're both in love and Martin is your typical nice guy who just wants to make his girl happy and pulls me in and I believe that to be true, but Christy is an entirely different story. She is in the process of divorcing her husband, the rich and handsome Brennan Moore, a man who treated her horribly and for what reason? Because he could. Martin, wanting to make Christy happy does anything she wants but what he doesn’t know is that things are not what they seem and this is a dangerous game. A game of make-believe…
Not the best but what could I expect? The book’s only a hundred and forty pages long. But really I would have liked a little description. Not the best characters and I really like reading detailed characters but that wasn’t the case here.
Thoughts:
I'm a sucker for a sloppy romantic love story. This is what Make-Believe is all about. They are pretending what love is, what romance is, what marriage is. They've both been married before, and unhappily at that. Not my favorite, honestly. Things were so slow and sometimes boring and the plot twist in the end came out of nowhere! Seriously, I would’ve liked a few hints, but nope it hit me like a punch in the gut. And really only the last few chapters were entertaining the rest of the book was just lovey-dovey romance filled with sex, kisses and cheesy dates. Overall, I was not hugely impressed. If you like incredibly lovey-dovey relationships with psychos, go read this.
They're both in love and Martin is your typical nice guy who just wants to make his girl happy and pulls me in and I believe that to be true, but Christy is an entirely different story. She is in the process of divorcing her husband, the rich and handsome Brennan Moore, a man who treated her horribly and for what reason? Because he could. Martin, wanting to make Christy happy does anything she wants but what he doesn’t know is that things are not what they seem and this is a dangerous game. A game of make-believe…
Not the best but what could I expect? The book’s only a hundred and forty pages long. But really I would have liked a little description. Not the best characters and I really like reading detailed characters but that wasn’t the case here.
Thoughts:
I'm a sucker for a sloppy romantic love story. This is what Make-Believe is all about. They are pretending what love is, what romance is, what marriage is. They've both been married before, and unhappily at that. Not my favorite, honestly. Things were so slow and sometimes boring and the plot twist in the end came out of nowhere! Seriously, I would’ve liked a few hints, but nope it hit me like a punch in the gut. And really only the last few chapters were entertaining the rest of the book was just lovey-dovey romance filled with sex, kisses and cheesy dates. Overall, I was not hugely impressed. If you like incredibly lovey-dovey relationships with psychos, go read this.
April 11, 2021
I usually love James Patterson books but this one is not on my list of favorites. I actually came close to just stopping with a DNF. The plot was good but I just wasn't feeling it. It might be a case of, "it's not you; it's me," but I'm not sure.
I will say, that I knew there was something that was going to come out in the end that was only mildly hinted at but I didn't expect it to end like it did. Honestly, the ending was the best part of the book. Of course, I get that I wouldn't be able to appreciate the ending without the lead-in but that doesn't change my thoughts.
Congrats on your divorce, Christy. Looks like the timing was just right.
Helen Wick did good as narrator.
Story: 3 stars
Narration: 3.5 stars
I will say, that I knew there was something that was going to come out in the end that was only mildly hinted at but I didn't expect it to end like it did. Honestly, the ending was the best part of the book. Of course, I get that I wouldn't be able to appreciate the ending without the lead-in but that doesn't change my thoughts.
Congrats on your divorce, Christy. Looks like the timing was just right.
Helen Wick did good as narrator.
Story: 3 stars
Narration: 3.5 stars
October 24, 2016
This was painful to get through. For a short book, it stretched on. Every other paragraph spoke of the wealth in the area. It went on and on and on. I should have DNF, but I was curious to see what would happen. A whole lotta nothing.
December 24, 2018
'Tis the season the season for BookShots! This one is my favorite so far. An ending I didn't see coming :)
August 18, 2016
what a book!
let's play make believe, is not just a story about a couple of divorced people finding love, or trying to get the better deal from the marriage and money, just when you think that you understand the wife that has been tossed aside is the victim, you can think again.
'HELL HATH NO FURY LIKE A WOMAN SCORNED'
I am so loving these bookshots, James Patterson is definitely the master of crime and deception and mystery, you can never read a book of his and not give it 5* and this is no exception to that.
just when you think that you have it solved or understanding of it, James Patterson, just twists it and changes the whole concept of it and confuses you until you think, 'now I understand, very clever'
this book is just a page turner, and you can't put it down, no matter how hard you try, the ending is always the part that throws you off, but the twists are always the best, you don't want a book that is so predictable, otherwise it's not enjoyable, and that's why Mr Patterson is so good at this.
keep up the good work and I'll keep reading
let's play make believe, is not just a story about a couple of divorced people finding love, or trying to get the better deal from the marriage and money, just when you think that you understand the wife that has been tossed aside is the victim, you can think again.
'HELL HATH NO FURY LIKE A WOMAN SCORNED'
I am so loving these bookshots, James Patterson is definitely the master of crime and deception and mystery, you can never read a book of his and not give it 5* and this is no exception to that.
just when you think that you have it solved or understanding of it, James Patterson, just twists it and changes the whole concept of it and confuses you until you think, 'now I understand, very clever'
this book is just a page turner, and you can't put it down, no matter how hard you try, the ending is always the part that throws you off, but the twists are always the best, you don't want a book that is so predictable, otherwise it's not enjoyable, and that's why Mr Patterson is so good at this.
keep up the good work and I'll keep reading
August 12, 2016
I liked it, I really did. Sine good twists & a decently interested story overall. I think there was maybe even some potential for a bit more "meat", but these Bookshots are too short. My personal jury is still out on whether I like this format or not. Can't decide; still a sold 3.5/5 star read for this bookworm! :)
February 26, 2017
Christy and Martin meet through a mutual friend and find themselves playing games of make believe. Christy finds Martin to be entertaining and brings excitement to her life. Both have been in the throes of divorces and blames their ex's for their misery. Christy was kind of air-headed at times and allowed Martin to talk her into some new experiences. I wasn't a fan of some of their shenanigans and liked them both less and less throughout this book. Although the end had somewhat of a twist to it, I still think both Christy and Martin should have just gotten on with their lives and come to grips with being single again. Neither one of them seemed to work throughout this story, except for Martin a couple of times. Their whining was just plain boring at the end. Stiffing people out of money is not something that I can get my head around, especially since neither one of them was destitute. Not really a huge fan of this one.
August 7, 2016
I enjoyed this book . The end was totally unexpected. I have read quite a few book shots now, this one wrapped up pretty good, didn't leave me wondering. I look forward to more. Great for when you want something to read that's short, yet interesting.
December 9, 2017
I forced myself to finish
This was not up to par with the rest of his books. I thought it rather stupid. I will be a little more careful picking other books
This was not up to par with the rest of his books. I thought it rather stupid. I will be a little more careful picking other books
February 9, 2019
«In tutti i giochi c’è chi vince e c’è chi perde. Temo che in questo caso tu sarai quello che perde, tesoro.»
Frase che si attaglia benissimo anche a ciò che ho appena finito di leggere. Non è che Patterson si sia sprecato molto con questo racconto.
Le due stelle date sono anche troppe.
🔤 RC 2019 - Scarabeo febbraio
📚 RC 2019 - Lo scaffale traboccante
🔠 RC 2019 - Alphabet Autori->P
Frase che si attaglia benissimo anche a ciò che ho appena finito di leggere. Non è che Patterson si sia sprecato molto con questo racconto.
Le due stelle date sono anche troppe.
🔤 RC 2019 - Scarabeo febbraio
📚 RC 2019 - Lo scaffale traboccante
🔠 RC 2019 - Alphabet Autori->P
August 23, 2016
Rating: 3.55
Plot:
Martin Hawking and Christy Moore are both survivors of rough divorces and are going through tough times. They are introduced through a mutual friend and immediately hit it off.
They're both in love and Martin is your typical nice guy who just wants to make his girl happy but Christy is an entirely different story. She is in the process of divorcing her husband, the rich and handsome Brennan Moore, a man who treated her horribly and for what reason? Because he could. Martin, wanting to Christy happy does anything she wants but what he doesn’t know is that things are not what they seem and this is a dangerous game. A game of make-believe…
Characters:
Not the best but what could I expect? The book’s only a hundred pages long. But really I would have like a little description. Not the best characters and I really like reading detailed characters but that wasn’t the case here.
Thoughts:
Not my favorite, honestly. Things were so slow and sometimes boring and the plot twist in the end came out of nowhere!
Seriously, I would’ve liked a few hints, but nope it hit me like a punch in the gut. And really only the last few chapters were entertaining the rest of the book was just lovey-dovey romance filled with sex, kisses and cheesy dates.
Overall, I was not impressed.
If you like incredibly lovey- dovey relationships with psychos, go read this.
Plot:
Martin Hawking and Christy Moore are both survivors of rough divorces and are going through tough times. They are introduced through a mutual friend and immediately hit it off.
They're both in love and Martin is your typical nice guy who just wants to make his girl happy but Christy is an entirely different story. She is in the process of divorcing her husband, the rich and handsome Brennan Moore, a man who treated her horribly and for what reason? Because he could. Martin, wanting to Christy happy does anything she wants but what he doesn’t know is that things are not what they seem and this is a dangerous game. A game of make-believe…
Characters:
Not the best but what could I expect? The book’s only a hundred pages long. But really I would have like a little description. Not the best characters and I really like reading detailed characters but that wasn’t the case here.
Thoughts:
Not my favorite, honestly. Things were so slow and sometimes boring and the plot twist in the end came out of nowhere!
Seriously, I would’ve liked a few hints, but nope it hit me like a punch in the gut. And really only the last few chapters were entertaining the rest of the book was just lovey-dovey romance filled with sex, kisses and cheesy dates.
Overall, I was not impressed.
If you like incredibly lovey- dovey relationships with psychos, go read this.
October 10, 2018
This “bookshot” delivered exactly what it promised. It was a fast paced story that kept you turning pages and wrapped up within a few hours of reading. It was perfect for reading on the train to the city. I enjoyed the writing style and energy of this “novella”. It was my first time reading a bookshot and if the writing of all of them is this good then I look forward to trying one again. It reminded me of when I was a teen and bought Ellery Queen Magazines that had “mini mysteries” that I looked forward to devouring in one sitting.
Great for a quick read.
Great for a quick read.
August 4, 2016
This was another James Patterson Book Shots, only 113 pages long. Book Shots are complete books and quick reads since they are so short. This was one of his better books. Suspense, mystery, romance and more. Quite the page turner! It seemed to end too soon. Building up for the finish and I expected more and it was over! But still a good book and not the ending I was expecting. Very enjoyable!
August 8, 2017
Not Patterson's usual formula. But you know, I think I would have enjoyed it more if it wasn't a Bookshot and had some more background and details. But still, I was surprised at the end which is always fun.
August 5, 2016
Quick book, didn't like the story line or the ending.
August 22, 2016
This was a very fast read. I really liked the beginning of this book but I think the ending could have been a little bit better. All and all it wasn't a bad book.
December 3, 2016
Quick short story that had a twist at the end. Not bad for a REALY short story.
January 5, 2017
I was excited to read this short. I enjoyed the many twists, and have a little more courage to read the others. I was not expecting that wrap up.... It blew my mind!!!
January 25, 2017
Groan. I'm almost embarrassed to admit reading it.
February 5, 2017
A fascinating book full of twists, I could not put this down. I think the best description I can give is a mystery/revenge story. Fantastic!
February 1, 2018
I can't tell if I like this BookShot or not.
To be honest, I'm kind of leaning more towards not because nothing happens in this book until you get closer to the end, and even that twist seemed to come out of left field.
I just can't believe someone like the main character is smart enough to pull of what they did, as easily as they did.
The book served its purpose, I guess. It's a fast read, like James Patterson's books are, so if you're just looking for something mindless to read, this is the book for you.
To be honest, I'm kind of leaning more towards not because nothing happens in this book until you get closer to the end, and even that twist seemed to come out of left field.
I just can't believe someone like the main character is smart enough to pull of what they did, as easily as they did.
The book served its purpose, I guess. It's a fast read, like James Patterson's books are, so if you're just looking for something mindless to read, this is the book for you.
May 8, 2019
For such a short book, I loved how well paced the story went. James Patterson hasn't disappointed me yet with one of his Bookshots.
Let's Play Make Believe starting from running a bar tab to perhaps one f the most wtf moments in the end. I could never have predicted such an outcome and I've read a lot of crime reads.
For anyone needing a quick read for just the day I would highly suggest this book, the content kept me engaged with how James Patterson kept the story interesting by upping the anty on each new game of Make Believe.
Let's Play Make Believe starting from running a bar tab to perhaps one f the most wtf moments in the end. I could never have predicted such an outcome and I've read a lot of crime reads.
For anyone needing a quick read for just the day I would highly suggest this book, the content kept me engaged with how James Patterson kept the story interesting by upping the anty on each new game of Make Believe.
January 19, 2022
Ending was good, but the story as a whole certainly could have been better!!
July 4, 2019
One of his short books, this is about two people who are each getting a divorce. Marty is flying wild, coming up with outrageous games to play, getting more and more out of hand. From running out on a $1000 dining bill to killing his ex. What else can he possibly come up with?
October 14, 2017
a so so book but loved the ending
August 8, 2016
Compelling but definitely not up to Patterson's standards
Appreciate that the generous Mr. Patterson is doing these short modestly priced items with a lot of less experienced author's to give them a break and show them how to hold a reader's interest, but did not like this one as much as most of his work. Nice twist at the end though.
Appreciate that the generous Mr. Patterson is doing these short modestly priced items with a lot of less experienced author's to give them a break and show them how to hold a reader's interest, but did not like this one as much as most of his work. Nice twist at the end though.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 409 reviews